“I had rather have a plain, russet-coated Captain, that knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that you call a Gentleman and is nothing else” – Oliver Cromwell, 1643

The shadow of the Thirty Years War hit the British Isles in 1625, as Charles I became King of England. Accustomed to a weaker Scottish Parliament, the new King found fiercer opposition from the Parliament in London.

Now, only two decades later, open war has started with the Royalists facing the Parliamentarians, and the conflict is raging in England and Scotland.

The Country is at odds, its population forced to take a side and torn apart by religious divisions.

No one can be neutral this time. To whom will you swear your loyalty? To the King or to the Parliament?

The choice is yours!

A new game from Ageod is in the development, and it will focus on the grim years of the English Civil Wars (1642-1651)!

Directly from the product page:

“With a detailed selection of the historical units of the conflict you will find the Covenanters, Newcastle’s whitecoats, Cromwell’s Ironside’s, the new model Army or the Cornish legendary infantry. Players can build and manage their armies, throughout the campaigns set in the various theaters of operations like Yorkshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Bristol, Lincolnshire”

Two playable factions, Six scenarios, Historical Events triggered throughout the game, Regional Decision Cards, all of this and more, will make you relive the wars that laid the foundation of the British Empire.

Get more information about the English Civil War game from its product page

Excellent news. I shall definitely be getting this one. The colours and the design look fabulous. Is "Freeborn John" (Lilburne), a famous Leveller going to be in it? And Gerard Winstanley and the Diggers ("True Levellers")?

Hi,Will the battleplans include defensive deployments in the pitched battles ? 5there weren't any in TYW).Will you keep the emprisoned leaders' feature of TYW ( with the ability to relieve them with a card) ?Will there be a lot of political or religious choices ?What will be the supply system ? The same as TYW ?

Leibst wrote:It is the declaration of lex tallionis, so he is in some way represented. As soldier he wasn't so relevant to be represented. Only most important leaders are, to avoid have more leaders than units.

I was thinking more along the lines of political events really, a bit like in "Revolution Under Siege" where you might make decisions/concessions to raise morale (or pacify people) by adjusting your social policy (e.g. land reform). So in the ECW there might be considerations about dealing with Leveller unrest in the army, for example, or the emergence of Digger communities in various parts of the country. I wasn't expecting Lilburne or Winstanley to be represented by actual leader figures.

This project sounds exciting. I wonder if the game will include the American theatre? Maybe an off-the-map box.

During the Civil War, there were four colonies: Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut and Massachusetts. New York and Pennsylvania did not yet exist being New Netherlands and New Sweden respectively. Virginia and the Catholic colony of Maryland were Royal supporters. Massachusetts and Connecticut were Puritan and supported Parliament. Virginia Parliament supporters were kicked out of the colony. They went to Maryland, where they founded Providence, which later became Annapolis.

In 1645 the Maryland Puritans captured the capital, St Mary's and in 1646 the Catholics recaptured it. The last battle of the English Civil War was fought in Maryland. The Battle of the Severn was fought in 1655 and the Parliamentarians won.

There were no large major battles, but maybe this could be included as flavour.

However, the other side of me wishes one of the current games is fixed so that it is playable. To me, as a solitaire player, Wars of Napoleon is completely unplayable in its current condition. I hope there is a fix in the works.

In 1644 a violent family feud broke out in Maryland between the Calverts and the rival Claiborne family, over some land that the Claibornes thought should belong to them but the Calverts had occupied. The conflict was intensified by religious and political differences, because the Claibornes were Puritans, and attracted support from those opposed to the Royalist, pro-Catholic Calverts. Two or three years of unrest and low-intensity warfare followed.

There was also naval conflict in the north. The fishermen of Newfoundland were Royalist, and fought several skirmishes at sea with New England merchant ships. This was nothing new - privateering was a way of life for many mariners, and the English, Scots, Irish, Dutch, French, Germans and many others all participated enthusiastically.

The Third Powhatan War (or Tidewater War) should also be mentioned. In 1644 the Powhatan Confederacy, angered by constant English encroachments on their lands, responded by massacring about 10% of the civilian inhabitants of Virginia in an attempt to drive them away from their lands. The Virginian colonists responded by launching destructive raids on Powhatan-allied tribes, sparking a two-year war that ended with the Native Americans driven out of the whole region around the James River. This conflict was unrelated to the Civil War, except that governor Sir William Berkeley used it as an excuse to move against some of his Parliamentary enemies by claiming (with little evidence) that they'd conspired with the Powhatans to destroy the colony

In 1651, Parliament sent General-at-Sea George Ayscue with seven warships to ensure its control of the American colonies. Ayscue encountered armed resistance at Bermuda, and had to spend several months blockading the island and landing raiding parties until its governor surrendered. When he arrived in Virginia and Maryland in March 1652, however, the colonies gave up without a fight. There would, however, be further conflict in Maryland. The governor, William Stone, was allied to the Royalist Calvert family, but he was a moderate and so was allowed to remain in office subject to the oversight of several Parliamentary Commissioners (including William Claiborne). In 1654, however, Stone resigned his office - only to return a few months later with troops in an attempt to regain control over Maryland by force of arms.

The result was the Battle of the Severn on 25 March 1655, fought near present-day Annapolis MD. The 'battle' lasted half an hour and involved no more than 300 people on both sides combined; a total of 19 men were killed. Stone lost the battle and was taken prisoner - he was sentenced to death for treason, but was pardoned and allowed to live out his life in retirement. Parliament retained control of Maryland until the Restoration.